


The Selfish Thief Of Two Hearts

by NotSoHotsuin



Series: Unrequited, Devoted, Divided [2]
Category: Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2
Genre: Angst, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Heartbreak, I'm Sorry Daichi, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-18
Updated: 2017-07-18
Packaged: 2018-12-03 23:25:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11542608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NotSoHotsuin/pseuds/NotSoHotsuin
Summary: He who won her heart, and he whose heart he stole.





	The Selfish Thief Of Two Hearts

It was hard to manage time past graduation. While working took up most of Daichi’s day, he found the remaining hours stressful to fill. It was amazing that he even had the brainpower to ignore homework, because with all the homework gone, there was suddenly so much more free time to make use of. Games and movies usually took up most of it, but there was only so much he could do without human interaction. Hibiki spent time with him, but the conversations were not really the same when Io joined to hang out.   
  
That encouraged Daichi to go out on his own, even if walking outside all by himself made him nervous. Hibiki and Daichi were inseparable since childhood, so to suddenly walk down the streets with no one to turn to was unsettling.   
  
Daichi was walking through Shiba Park when someone almost knocked him over with their bicycle. It was partly his own fault for being lost in thought, but there was enough space for the guy to just drive past him without bumping into anyone.    
  
“There’s this crazy thing called a _ road  _ to the left of me! Maybe you’d like to give it a go!?” The bicyclist came to a halt at his loud shouting. It was now that Daichi noticed the familiar face beneath the helmet.   
“Daichi?” Hibiki turned the bike around and cycled over to stand by his side with a smile. As delightful as it was to see Hibiki after a boring day, it did not help brighten his mood.   
“Oh, hey man. I didn’t know it was you. Feel free to run me over. What’s the point in living anymore…” Hibiki disregarded the comment, chucking it out to be nothing more than his friend’s overly dramatic exaggerations. Speaking of exaggerations, that raised another issue.   
“I didn’t recognize you from behind. You are, uh…” Hibiki scanned Daichi from top to bottom. “Why are you dressed like that?”   
“Like what?”   
“...Provocatively.”   
“Provocatively? It’s just a top, dude.” Hibiki laughed, but Daichi had a feeling he was not doing it because he had said something funny.   
“And tight leather shorts that look shorter than any skirt I’ve seen in my entire life.” Daichi rolled his eyes at the remark and narrowed his eyes to counter his point- something about how women could dress light if they wanted to but the contrary was suddenly frowned upon. The speech was already prepared and ready, but he barely got a word out.   
  
“Hibiki, wait up!” Another familiar voice interrupted their conversation, and a bike pulled up next to them.   
“Sorry to keep you w-” The girl pulled back in shock. “W-whoa! Daichi…?” Daichi only grinned widely and put his hands on his hips. Io placed her hand over her lips as if to hold back the surprise in her voice.   
“In the flesh!”   
“U-um… clearly… Daichi, don’t you think you’ll catch a cold like that?”   
“Why does everyone keep pointing this out to me?”   
“Hibiki, did you, um… explain?”   
“I would but his thighs keep talking over me.” As nice as the attention was, Daichi snapped his fingers in front of Hibiki’s nose to break his focus, but found his move ineffective.   
“My eyes are up here, Hibiki.”   
“I’ve seen your eyes, I know they exist. I’ve never seen your thighs. I’m re-evaluating my entire belief system.”   
“Welp, it’s been lovely being tag-team bullied, but I’m headed to the shopping district. Bye, Hibiki.” Daichi glared at Hibiki when he obstructed his path by raising his arm.   
  
“We’re going there too. We can give you a ride.”   
“...Oh… Ohhhhh, no… That’s… not necessary…” Hibiki furrowed his brows slightly at the tone of Daichi’s voice, and the sluggish way he dragged the sentence out for far longer than it needed to be. Io did not seem to pick up on Daichi’s discomfort as easily.   
“Yeah, that’s a great idea! Hop on, Daichi. You can ride with me.”   
“O-oh, uh… you sure about that, Io?”   
“Hm? What’s wrong?”   
“Um, nothing. I-If you don’t mind, I’d rather ride with Hibiki...” Io’s gaze turned to stare at the ground, and her cheeks went rosy.    
“...Yes, I understand.” The memory of Daichi’s earnest confession escaped her memory, but Daichi remembered the event all too well. Not to drag the conversation into the mud, Hibiki ended their exchange.   
  
“Get on,” Hibiki signaled Daichi to get on his bike, and Daichi did as was asked of him. “-and hold on tight so you don’t fall off like in Junior High.” Daichi punched Hibiki’s arm lightly for bringing up embarrassing memories, but his touch softened when he had to hold onto him for support. Io took the lead, and guided them down the quickest path.    
  
Daichi really wished Hibiki would have just ran him over when he had the chance.   
  


* * *

  
  
Going shopping felt much better with company. While Hibiki and Daichi still spent time together, their time became more limited with a third party. Io and Daichi engaged in activities as well, but the air was always uncomfortable and awkward. That was why Io decided to slip away to the women's department to look for new skirts, while she left Hibiki to help Daichi pick out something better suited for his build.

The topic of relationships was rather uncomfortable, and Hibiki tried his best to avoid it as best as he could, but it was difficult to do so when he was dating a person who his best friend had a crush on.   
  
“N-no, um, it’s fine, dude. Really. Fair’s fair and all.” Daichi muttered the sentence with a sigh. His fingers tore into the shirt he had in his hands before he placed it back in the discount pile clumsily.   
“I… I’m still upset but… what can you do? She picked you, and… I see why. Haha… It’s not important. I’ll get over it.” Hibiki did not know what to say to the comment. He knew Io was a sensitive subject for Daichi, even when so much time had passed from when they were teens. It was not surprising to hear he had not gotten over it yet. She did not exactly let him down easily. His eyes locked on Daichi when he spoke up again.   
  
“I just… I wanted to be someone’s first choice, for once.” Hibiki’s expression softened.   
“First choice?” Both Daichi’s posture and voice came off so small. It felt as if he did not consider his words to hold any deep meaning- as if they were uttered on a whim and could be dismissed at the drop of a hat. Still, he tried to make his point clear despite his uncertainty.   
  
“Yeah, y’know. The first person you call when you’re feeling ill? The first person you rant to when you see something stupid online? The one that’s on your mind first when you have some exciting news? I’ve never had someone come to me first for any sort of advice. Thinking about it now just makes me want it more. I guess that’s what I’m jealous of. I want to be that important to someone.” He coughed into his hand and tried to mask the hurt in his voice with a more cheery exterior.    
  
“What am I saying? Forget it, it’s silly. Just silly childish thoughts, heh. Here I think I’m all grown up, but I haven’t really matured all that much, huh?” Hibiki wanted to reach out and place his hand on his shoulder, but he feared that any touch right now might just put Daichi off. Daichi met his gaze, only to smile and raise his hands to his chest to apologize for dragging the mood down.   
  
“...You’ve always been my first choice, Daichi.” The small look of surprise was brief, but Hibiki noticed it. He was wondering if Daichi’s cheeks were always faintly red, or if he was just imagining it.   
“Haha, come on, man. You don’t need to say that. It’s embarrassing!”   
“It’s true.”   
“Hm…” Daichi looked away, eyes pretending to examine the clothes before them. Hearing Hibiki admit this made him happy- overjoyed, in fact. Even if he did not think Hibiki was being dishonest, there was definitely something off about the way he had phrased himself. “U-um, if you’re my first choice, and I’m yours… what does that make us?” Hibiki stared off into space, seemingly thinking about the answer for a good bit before delivering his reply.   
“Best friends.”   
“I know that much! What I mean is… shouldn’t your girlfriend also be your best friend?”   
“My girlfriend is my girlfriend. My best friend is my best friend.”   
“You’re really not picking up what I’m putting down…”   
“Just come out and say it, Daichi.”   
“F-fine.” He took a few steps back, just in case. No matter how many times he convinced himself this feeling was not normal, that it was not something he should be combating alone, he could not share his secret with anyone. He could not look Hibiki in the eye and say it. If he wanted it to be genuine, he had to put his heart into it, and he could not find the confidence in himself to do that. Any attempt to look Hibiki in the eye made him tense up and turn his head away. Time was passing, and not to give off the vibe something was off, he picked up a random shirt from the pile before them and held it draped over his chest.   
  
“...Do I look good in this one? Be honest.” Hibiki’s lips parted before his gaze drifted between the shirt and Daichi’s expression. It looked as if he was trying to piece two and two together, but Daichi did not give him enough clues to work off to find the answer. He hoped for it to remain that way. A small smile tugged at the corner of Hibiki’s lips as he took the fabric between his fingers to examine its thickness.   
“Seriously? That’s all you were worried about?...”   
“Be cool and help out!”

  
So, Daichi never really told him what was on his mind. He lacked the courage. What point was there to admit he did not think Io and Hibiki were right for each other when there was evidence to prove him wrong? What did his opinion matter on who was right for who, or what he would rather have happen instead? In the end, Hibiki was a person that decided his own fate, and Daichi was not going to stand in the way of it and risk losing a friend in the process.   
  
No one but Daichi knew what it was he wanted to tell Hibiki that day.   
  
Those were demons he promised himself to carry alone for as long as he lived.   
  
Even after he heard Hibiki and Io were engaged.


End file.
